My Unwitting Tutor
by syaoran no hime
Summary: Videl was entertaining her suitors when she ended up with one who was actually looking for a job as a tutor. Rhyming madness? VidelGohan
1. Default Chapter

"Delicious!" pronounced Goten cheerfully as he munched on his breakfast corn cereals. "I only wish there was milk in it…"

"So why don't you put milk in there?" asked Gohan, looking up from his dog-eared learning scrolls their village scholar kindly gave him as a gift for his recent birthday. He loved these pieces of rolled papers dearly, although in the past, his mother had to practically TORTURE him into loving pieces of documents such as this. It was understandable; he was a boy, hungry for adventures, and his father was more than happy to feed the need. And being chained to the study desk when he could be out there, saving the town from grizzly bears run amok, bandits trying to wreak havoc in town, or even creatures from another world attempting to dominate the world…well, it didn't make sense to him.

But on his father's deathbed, Son Gokou made him promise to obey his mother always, and to love and protect her. And he cherished that word they exchanged man to man, so he taught himself to love erudition—something his mother dreamed of incessantly for her sons. Not to be like their father who was, in every sense, not an ordinary father. He didn't toil in the farm from sunrise to sun down and bring home the food to be served on the table. He didn't pay the village's contributions. He couldn't be home long enough to fix the roof or to regularly fetch water from the well.

He was simply too busy looking after the world's safety, together with his trusted friends. 

He snapped back to reality when he heard his mother's angry voice. He sweatdropped. Here they go again…

"…and we can't even afford anymore to have stock milk in the cabinet because we cannot get enough money to BUY a cow! Your father was too laidback and too contented with his lazy life, flying around town and fighting forces unseen when the town didn't even care for him! Instead of working in the farm and being a good provider, he… would rather serve the world! He has the most thankless job I know, and good heavens, he ENJOYS it! But the people who really needs him—really, REALLY needs him – couldn't get hold of him." Chichi's eyes watered. "Had he forgotten that he has a FAMILY? A wife, even?" 

He winced inwardly. His mother was getting emotional again. Although he had to admit, his mother had the right to say that. His dad was never really around in the house. It was fortunate that he was able to be with his father in their adventures, but his mother…his good ole mother, who was more practical, more sensible, and was more at home with her feet firmly planted on the ground than uncertainly above the air; soaring freely…she never had a husband.

Then the memory of his father in his deathbed flashed in his mind. That of his father's twinkling eyes as he talked about the young girl who made him promise that she would be his fiancée. He agreed at once, thinking it meant food. He wasn't able to come back though, as he promised her. He only remembered years later in a martial arts tournament when he faced a mysterious beautiful young woman on battle who seemed to dislike him intensely. She told him that he would have her name and her reason for hating him when he defeats her, which he did with consummate ease. 

Ruefully, she gave him her name. After the tournament and some mishaps, it was his turn to give her his name.

Son Gokou never said anything about love, but he could sense something powerful within the Saiyan's heart that only this man's wife could stir so passionately. If that wasn't proof enough, then all he must do was look at the mirror, or look at his younger brother.

Speaking of which, his brother was sighing. "Really, Mom, I think the cereal is OK without the milk…"

Chichi delicately blew her nose on the hem of her apron. "Don't worry, Goten. I…I would try to ask your Grandpa for milk when he visits us again." She subtly smiled at the small-framed picture of the grinning Son Gokou on the dining room, as if reassuring him that his sons wouldn't go wrong while she was still here. 

His heart wrenched. It was his job to smile that way to his father, promising security to this family. Within him, he heard his father's voice telling him to go for it. He put down his learning materials.

This made his mother look up. "Gohan? Oh, I'm sorry. Did I disturb your studying?"

"Mom, I'm going to get a job."

Videl smiled fondly at her father who was being interviewed by the eager reporters. It seemed her father, the champion of the city that bears his name in tribute to his greatness, had done yet another act of heroism, this time, triumphing against the strange fellow who calls itself Cell. Despite Cell's use of deceiving ways, the Grand Martial Arts tournament champion still won against it.

She was so proud of her dad, and she knew that if she wanted to become like him, she must persevere further in her training. In her eyes, he was the grandest hero in the entire history.

"How about your daughter, Videl, Master?" asked one of the reporters. "The young lady is growing beautifully—"

"Of course, it's in the genes," said her father not without a touch of pride. Her heart swelled in happiness.

"Of course, Master," agreed the man. "Do you think you would allow any man to ask her hand for marriage?"

Before her father could reply, she answered for him. In a loud, proud voice, she declared, "The only man I will marry is the one who can defeat my dad!"

"Then Ms. Videl, I guess that means you'll grow up a spinster? Why, that would dishearten a lot of men who admire your bravery and masterful skills in battle, but also your fierce beauty as well," said the reporter, grinning.

"My father is my yardstick," she replied, smiling. "No man will be ever worth his skin without him bearing my father's qualities."

"Look, son, can't you see the signboard outside?" said the stout man as he grabbed Gohan outside his office and showed him the No Vacancy sign. "What does it says?"

"Um…that you have not yet realized that your manpower is still in need of one more work-oriented laborer with properly settled priorities and had acquainted himself with work ethics?" he tried.

"No. It means we don't need you around here." With that, he was unceremoniously thrown out of the construction area.

He sighed. This was the nth time that he tried to get a job, but was refused, for a variety of reasons. He was too young, too weak-looking, too mild, too scholarly-looking, and of course, too late, for they had always recruited enough men just when he applies for a job. Now he understood why his father opted to be an invisible protector of the town. He wasn't paid literally, but the feeling he gets after saving people, it was compensation enough for a simple-hearted one like his dad. Plus, he didn't have to go through all these rejections…

_Maybe I should just give it up, _he thought glumly. But no, it was like giving up on his promise to his father and mother.

He ran his job ideas in his mind as he walked on the grassy path leading to the city.

Not so long after the TV station broadcasted the interview, suitors had been lining up in front of the mansion to try to fight against her father. Videl sighed in exasperation as man after man flew outside the gates of their front yard.

"Dad, maybe you should take a rest or something?" she said when he kicked the eighty-fifth man out of the ring.

Her father smirked. "Nonsense, Videl! I'm just beginning to warm-up!"

She sweatdropped. "Well, try to not hurt them too much, ok?"

"Haha! Of course!" He gave her a V-sign, then went back to his business.

Gohan's eyes widened when he saw the long queue formed outside the large mansion. He nudged one of the men lined up eagerly. "What's going on?" _I hope it's a free ration of milk._

"We're applying," said the man simply.

His eyes lit up. _A job fair? Wow! _"For what job?"

The man rolled his eyes. "What planet are you from? Didn't you see the broadcast awhile ago?" He went on to narrate to the nodding boy the interview on TV.

In the end, Gohan nodded. "I'll fall in line too! I WANT THAT JOB!"

It was already nine in the evening when the line dwindled, and so far, no one was able to even touch her father. She sighed, then yawned. "Dad, make the others go home already. We both need to rest."

 Her father nodded. "I am dead beat. I'm not used to being up all afternoon without a nap." He didn't add that he wasted his whole afternoon kicking amateurs' butts when he could be in a spa with lots of attractive women to respond to his every whim.

"Goodnight, Papa." She kissed his sweaty forehead and smiled sleepily. "You're the greatest." She suddenly made a jab towards his jaw, and he barely managed to avoid it. "How's that for my training improvement?"

"Don't gawk. It's nothing much." He grinned.

"CLOSED?! But I waited all afternoon, I didn't get dinner, I'm tired and I wasn't able to buy milk for my brother!" wailed Gohan.

The guards of the mansion didn't seem sympathetic to him. "Master is tired too. He would attend to you tomorrow morning maybe."

"Please let me in. Maybe I can try to talk to him and ask him—"

"Forget it. You have to get past us if you want to—"

No sooner that the guards said that when the men behind and in front of Gohan rushed towards the steel gates of the mansion, stampeding on the guards in the process. Gohan sweatdropped as he helped the poor guards back into their posts, then entered the mansion as well.

"We waited all day in line! Now give us the chance to fight the Master Grand Champion!" yelled the mob in unison.

Videl sighed and closed the window. "How in the world are we going to get any sleep with them around?"

Her father opened one eye, then groaned. "Ah, it's terrible to be so popular!" He got up and took his signature brown robe. "I guess I would have to face them—"

"Wait, Papa!" She stopped him. "What if I face them instead?" she asked.

He frowned. "Are you sure? There are a lot of men outside and…"

"I'm sure, Papa," she said, smiling confidently. "Now I can put my training into a REAL test."

"Well, if you ever need help, you can call me—"

"Relax, Papa. I'll deal with them MY way." Her grin was self-assured. After all, she was not the daughter of the Grand Martial Arts champion for nothing.

The minute a young girl materialized in the balcony, the mob was hushed. Excited whispers roamed around the crowd, and Gohan thought he caught the words "the daughter of Master Grand Champion" in the undertones. He looked up at the girl and squinted at her figure through his glasses. Her figure towered above theirs, and the moon behind her hid her features, merely silhouetting her outline. Her acutely toned voice though penetrated his auditory systems wholly.

"Listen, you guys," she said. "Papa is resting, so if you guys really want to fight…you have to fight ME." This was followed by her proud laughter that rather resembled well the laughter of…

He sweatdropped. It couldn't be…

"You guys can attack me all at the same time or one-on-one. I do NOT care. All I want is to finish this as soon as possible, so I can get a goodnight sleep already. If you fall from the balcony where I'm standing, you are not qualified anymore to fight with me. Ready?"

Tensed silence, then loud ayes.

"Go!!!"

As if with one mind, all the men around Gohan headed for the girl at once. 

Videl blocked one flimsy punch successfully, then another one with her right leg. She used her left elbow to nudge roughly the other man, then leaped to avoid the flying kick of another man. Adrenalin shot through her veins as she felt awareness in every part of her body. She was now in the right spirit to fight!

Men after men tumbled down, but she maintained her poised balance on the steep rails of the balcony. The some thirty men she was fighting thinned down to twenty, then to ten. Until finally, she was fighting with just two. She kicked the other one down, and now, she was left battling with a blond-haired macho man. She shut her eyes in distaste. This could NOT be the man for her! One look at him and she knew that she would rather be unmarried all her life.

She raised her leg to kick him, and in his moment of hesitation, she saw him ogling her legs. Her cheeks heated, and she used her other leg to deliver a blow to his face. This made the man plummet down to the ground.

She stood at the top of the railing, arms crossed smugly in front of her chest. "All of you were defeated so easily, just as I thought. Shame on you to think that you can defeat my father when you can't even stand up against ME." She cocked an eyebrow. "Goodnight, gentlemen. Thank you for coming anyway."

"Thank you my ass!"

Her eyes widened when she saw one man pull a gun and point it at her. "No woman would defeat me like that, even if you are the daughter of Master Satan!" he yelled before firing away.

And cursed her for not moving. She shut her eyes in anticipation of the bullet when she felt strong arms encircle her waist and dive her down to the floor. The bullet missed her inches in the air.

It instantly stirred a reaction among the Grand Champion loyalists. The crowd hammered on the man, while Videl…

"H-Hey…it's ok to open your eyes already," said a male voice gently.

She stiffened, but relaxed when she knew he was right. She was safe. The bullet missed her. She opened her eyes and found herself face-to-face with her savior.

A young man with a milk pail on his head.

Before she could react, he got up and saluted.

"H-hey, wait! Your name!" she cried before she could stop herself.

She saw him pause, then suddenly, made frantic arm and leg moves. "Call me…the Great Saiyan Man!"

"G-Great…Saiyan Man?" she echoed, somewhat feeling dumb.

"Goodbye!" And with that, he jumped down the balcony, just as panicked guards entered the balcony. "Videl-sama, are you alright?"

She blinked, blushed, then placed her hands on her hips. "OF COURSE I'M ALRIGHT! I'm my father's daughter, and I can take care of myself!"

"We heard a gunshot—"

"And I'm safe. Don't bother Papa about this anymore." She turned her back on them and gazed at where her savior stood just seconds ago.

"Great Saiyan Man, huh? I know we'll see each other again. I know that you're the only one who can actually hold his fort against Papa."

"An applicant at this time of the morning?" Her father looked very displeased. It was fortunate that her Papa was sleeping too tightly to even notice the commotion outside last night.

She grinned. _Well, I guess he would just have to hear it in the news then._

"Oh, alright. Let him in. Geez…people are so ambitious, thinking that they can defeat the one and only Grand Martial Arts champion? Hahaha!"

She looked up when she heard footsteps shuffling towards them.

Behind the guard was a tall, young man with dark hair clumsily combed up, but with strands of hair falling down on his eyes, making him look boyish. On his face was a sheepish grin, one enough to melt any mother's heart. He was dressed casually in white shirt and slacks, with a vest draped over his broad shoulders. What attracted her attention the most though were his twinkling warm eyes, carrying gentleness that was rarely seen in boys her age who only knew how to make themselves look good and coat themselves with false macho and bravado.

She did a double take when she saw him smile at her. She quickly looked down on her pancakes, trying to contain the colors that were starting to flood her cheeks.

Gohan grinned when he saw the young girl seated in the dining room gazing at him intently. He was puzzled though when she looked away, as if she was angered when he noticed her looking at him.

"Look here, son, I'm not yet in the mood to battle. Maybe if you come back in a more suitable time, I'll battle with you," Master Satan was saying. "Try me after ten years."

He nodded slowly, then asked, "In the afternoon or in the evening? You see, my mother makes me fetch water the whole morning everyday, so I may not be able to make it."

The two gaped at him in disbelief.

"You really want to be my suitor THAT much?" Videl finally asked, unable to determine what she feels with that thought.

"Huh?" The look of confusion on the boy's face was a classic.

"What do you mean, 'huh'?" she demanded.

"S-Suitor? I don't want to be a suitor!" he sputtered.

"E-Eh? T-Then why are you here applying?" she yelled, her high-pitched voice filling the four corners of the spacious dining room.

He paused for awhile, then recognition dawned on his handsome face. He rubbed his cheek sheepishly. "I-I think it was my fault. Somebody told me that he's applying to be your _tutor_. I must have misheard him."

"S-So you mean to say you're applying here as a TUTOR?!"

"Yeah!" nodded the boy brightly. "I'm good in literature and in sciences."

"Well…" Her father rubbed his stubbles thoughtfully. "You had an awfully terrible grade in biology in your report card…"

"Papa!" she screamed in disbelief.

"Videl!" He pounded his fist on the table. "I have decided already. My daughter must not only excel in physical and martial arts endeavors, but in academics as well." He turned to the boy. "Son, you're hired." He grinned just as hidden cameras in the mansion started flashing. It was only then that Videl realized that their whole house was bugged by the TV Station to get the latest scoops on the life of the Martial Arts Grand Champion. She groaned helplessly.

"HIRED?!" Gohan couldn't believe his luck. He could now finally buy a whole cabinet of milk for his brother!

The man went on to tell him the extent of his tutoring job, but he wasn't listening. He was excited to see the reaction of his mother, or his Aunt Bulma and Trunks.

He looked at his new student, grinning in his usual friendly way, but she ignored him deliberately. He shrugged. She was really different from the girl he saved last night. She was not very grateful this morning, when if he was in her shoes, he would be overjoyed that someone would help him in his journey to education.

Oh well. Maybe she's not just in the mood to talk. He then self-consciously combed his hair with his fingers, praying that his hair wouldn't attract ants because of the lingering scent and stickiness of the milk on his head. To be continued 


	2. Default Chapter

"Of course you do know that I have to train, ne, Gohan-sensei?" The sarcastic tone of Videl Satan made Son Gohan blink and look up from the book of Chinese myths he had been reading.

"Well, Videl…"

"It's Miss Videl for you, Gohan-sensei," she said firmly.

"Um, Miss Videl," he began carefully once more. "I know very well how important your training is—"

"Of course," she said proudly. "Satan City's protector must be ready all the time in her battles."

"—but you must understand that…well…it's class hours." He picked up his schedule booklet. "You see, according to the schedule arranged here, I am supposed to be teaching you Literature for two hours. It's been only…" He glanced at his watch. "…eighteen minutes and forty-two seconds since we started."

"So?" Her eyebrow rose. "Look, my body chemistry is used to eight am warm-ups. I NEED them so I could function normally as a person and as the guardian of justice for today. Now, if you still want to be stubborn then you have to bear the consequences of me being stubborn with you!" She paused to take a breath. "Understand?" she finished, hands on her hips.

He blinked, then pushed the bridge of his glasses up his nose with his finger. "Then…um, we should start changing your body chemistry's preferences, ne?" He grinned. "Tell you what…you can train, but we'll study at the same time."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh really? You expect me to kick ass while chained to the study table?" She rolled her eyes. Honestly, she couldn't believe how the situation changed—yesterday, she was a carefree young girl who could do whatever she pleases whenever she wants to, all done in no malicious intention. Twenty-four hours later, a weak-looking but annoyingly boyishly cute nerd was telling her what to do!

But she had to give him her grudging admiration—he had patience infinite as the deep dark eyes behind his glasses. It didn't take too long for her to realize that no amount of name-calling, bullying, or snappy retorts could ever make him snap. He quietly received her acerbic remarks, made small comments, but never talked back.

And that pissed her off even more.

It's as if he's not taking me and my reputation seriously!  she thought, shaking her head in disbelief.

"N-No. Actually, I mean…" He rubbed his chin with his finger sheepishly. "Um, you can go about with your training…kickboxing and stuff. I would just read aloud today's lesson in the background. How's that?"

"Wow, and you expect me to listen?" she said mockingly. "OK! Go ahead. Start your monologue and I'll go about with my training." She started swinging her fists and her legs in the air in synchronized grace, secretly waiting for what her new tutor would do.

 He cleared his throat, then smiled. "OK, here we go. Today's story is about Goldilocks and the three bears…"

That made her cough. "Goldilocks?! In Chinese myths?"

He chuckled. "And here I thought you weren't paying attention awhile ago."

She raised her chin in defiance. "Look, I saw the cover of the book. Give me at least a credit in reading, OK?"

He laughed once more, then began reading out loud the first few paragraphs of the story.

She struggled to drown out his voice, concentrating on pumping her muscles to move. 

"…and so, the eldest son of Liu Mao summoned the spirits to ask their advice on how to find his father's remains in the Yangtze River before the rainy season begins…"

She stretched her legs and bent low to touch her toe tips.

"…the spirits told him to seek the Nymph of the river's help…"

Sighing in exasperation, she suddenly straightened and slammed her fists on the table. "Listen, Gohan-sensei. Your lecture is driving me nuts! Why don't we just study a little later? Like in the next lifetime!"

His eyes widened. "You mustn't remain ignorant that long."

"IGNORANT?!" Her cheeks reddened. "I am Videl Satan, and you must understand that it is not important if I do not know the story of Liu Mao or how animals are classified into kingdoms. I just need to fight for justice, that is the only important thing for me!"

"Fighting for justice is what I do too, but I don't let it interfere with my erudition," he said, shrugging. "And I'm happy that, indeed, you were listening to me."

"Oooh, shut up!!!" she snapped. This made him jump involuntarily. She glared at him. "Any minute now, robbers may be starting to plot of robbing the banks in the city. Or an old lady couldn't cross the street because of the endless rushing stream of cars. Mayhem may be everywhere at this very moment I'm speaking and still, I'm here with you in our garden, arguing about something as stupid as this!"

He sighed. "Miss Videl, I know that…well, you care a lot for the welfare of the city, which is good." He rubbed his cheek sheepishly. "But the city can take care of itself for one more hour." He showed her the book cover. "And well, if you think education is um, stupid, well, try ignorance."

She blinked, the crossed her arms. "Hmp!"

He smiled hopefully. "Now can we go back to studying?"

She eyed him quietly, then smiled diabolically. She suddenly reached for the book he was holding and threw it far away. "Oops. Now we don't have any more to read."

Gohan sweatdropped, then sighed. He reached for his bag and took another copy of the book Videl took. "I-It's OK. I still have one more copy—"

"WHAT?!" Videl's eyes widened.

He grinned. "There! Now we can go back—"

All of a sudden, she reached for the book and hid it behind her back. "Get this book from me and I'll promise to study!" With that, she bolted away.

"Aah! M-Miss Videl!!!" he cried, sweatdropping again.

"Try to catch me, Gohan!" she shouted, turning to look at her tutor who was gaping at her in shock. She smiled confidently. She knew that they could spend the whole afternoon running and yet, he wouldn't catch her. She wasn't the record holder of the fastest runner in the whole Orange Star High School for nothing.

"I-If I get that book, do you promise to study already?" he yelled back.

She smiled with sweet venom. "Oh yeah!"

"OK…here I come!" Videl watched in shock as her tutor suddenly disappeared. Her eyes roved around the garden, trying to detect him.

How in the world did he do that?

"Miss Videl!" came a voice from behind her. She stiffened, then turned around.

Gohan was standing behind her, grinning.

She quickly jumped away from him, chest hammering. "H-How did you…" Her eyes were wide in shock. She looked at the book she was holding, then nodded to herself. She faced him squarely. "You don't have the book yet."

He rubbed his head. "Good point."

She readied herself. "OK, you may be a fast runner, but let's see if you can wrestle this book away from me." She went into her fighting stance.

"Miss Videl, I-I have no intention to harm you—"

"Tough luck. Because I have each and every intent to inflict bodily harm on you!" she retorted.

"Oh man…" she heard him mumble under his breath. This made her scowl. "Oh, I see. You don't want to fight me because I'm a girl, ne?"

He blinked. "Of course not. I don't want to fight you because I have no reason in my possession to do that."

"I'm giving you one!" She then attacked him, a jab aiming at him.

To her surprise, he simply avoided it.

She turned around to face him. "T-That was…plain dumb luck. You won't be as fortunate next time."

"There's still a next time?" he asked, sighing. "Miss Videl—"

"Yaaaah!!!" She aimed a kick at him. As she expected, he avoided it. In the last split second, she used her elbow to attack his jaw, coming from below.

She landed on the ground, huffing and puffing. She grinned proudly when she saw that indeed, she made contact on his jaw.

He looked surprised too. Perhaps, he didn't expect that attack too. He started to walk towards her quietly.

Her heart pulsed. What was he planning to do? Did she reach the end of the rope of his patience and now he would strike back? She readied her fighting stance once more.

But to her astonishment, he pulled out the book of Chinese Myths from his vest. He grinned. "I got it! Now will you be seated so we can study?"

Her eyes were wide in disbelief. "H-How did you…" She looked at her empty hands. "…do that?"

"It doesn't matter," he said breezily.

"Oh yes it DOES!" she snapped, walking in front of him, hands on her hips. "You're not just an ordinary tutor, are you?"

"W-What are you talking about?" he asked helplessly.

"You move like a man trained in martial arts." She eyed him intently. "So what do you study? Karate?"

"Um…" He laughed cluelessly. "Well…I-I …"

A piercing scream made both of them freeze. Then at the same time, they turned to the east direction. Black smoke was rising up towards the blue sky.

"The Children's Hospital!" she gasped. Quickly jumping into action, she headed for her private air coaster.

Gohan's forehead creased, then he headed for the backyard.

***

Videl arrived just as firemen appeared, looking distressed.

"Miss Videl, we have a problem! The fire is spreading much faster than we can stop it, and the toddlers in the ninth floor are still trapped!" informed the head of the fire fighting team.

"OK, I'm going to get them." With that, she jumped back to her coaster and headed for the burning ninth floor. Quickly, she surveyed the stairs that she could take to the ninth floor, since the hallway of the said floor was impossible to penetrate already.

Upon finding one, she jumped out of her coaster and ran inside.

***

"Tasukete!!!" hollered the children. Videl covered her nose and mouth with her hanky as she struggled into the flaming and falling debris. Finally, she reached the ninth floor.

Upon seeing her, the children's sobs and wails grew louder.

She smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, everyone. I'm going to get you out of here." She took the blankets and quickly wrapped them around the ten or so kids in the room. When she finished, she asked if there were still people left in the building.

"Mrs. Avon's child is still in the bathroom!" volunteered one of the children. "She was taking a bath—"

"OK, I'll go check." She led the children out of the floor first, then assisted them into her coaster. She then shifted its gears to autopilot. She turned to the eldest of the children. "Tell the firemen to send a ladder outside this window so I can climb down, ok?"

The boy nodded solemnly. She grinned and sent the coaster off before she headed back into the near-collapsing building.

***

"Hello? Is anyone still in there? Hello!!!" she shouted through the roaring fire and smoke. "Respond please!!! Hello? Anyone in there still? Hello—"

Something heavy landed on her head, and her vision turned dark.

***

She woke up when she felt the breeze around her, which was impossible. She was supposed to be inside the flaming building!

She opened her eyes with much Herculean effort. "Uunggghh…" she moaned.

"Wow, you're awake!" a male voice said.

She blinked, then rubbed her eyes. It was the man with the milk pail on his head! "W-What are you—" She attempted to push him away when she realized that he was carrying her in his arms! She looked down and nearly fainted again when she saw that they were _flying above the clouds!_

"T-This has got to be a dream," she whispered weakly.

"Um…"

She turned to him, eyes wide. "W-Wait! T-The kids in the hospital! A-Are they --?"

"They're safe," he assured her. "All of them."

"The child in the bathroom?"

"Safe."

She sighed relieved.

"That was foolish of you to enter the building again. Have you not realized that the smoke you inhaled may have accumulated in your lungs already?" he asked.

"There was someone out there who needs my help!"

He sighed.

"Anyway, we're all safe now, so it's immaterial." She looked at him sideways. "I figured that you were the one who saved me from the building."

"Yeah."

She looked at him intently. "Y-You're the same guy in the balcony, right?"

He nodded slowly.

"W-Why did you save me?" she asked.

The man shrugged. "Because you needed saving." He then slowed down and landed. "We're here."

She looked around and was relieved to find herself back in the familiar garden of her home.

He laid her down gently on the grass, then stepped back.

"Great Saiyan Man," she called.

He turned to her.

"Do you want a match against my Papa?" she offered. "I would like to see you two battle."

"N-No thanks."

"What's the matter? Are you scared? Being invited to battle with the world's greatest martial arts champion is really a privilege!" she exclaimed.

"I am honored." He turned his back on her. "But I have to refuse."

"B-But why?" she asked, sitting up.

"I…have a job. A-And I need to get back there, pronto!"

"Are you a milkman or something?" she asked suddenly.

He nodded slowly. "S-Something like that."

"Oh…okaaay." She laughed quietly. "That explains the milk pail on your head."

He winced, then turned to her slowly. "Y-You don't like the pail?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "It's not one of the better costume ideas in the world."

"I-I see…" With that, the Great Saiyan Man soared up into the air.

***

Videl was stunned to see Gohan seated in the garden chair, contentedly reading the book of Chinese Myths under an oil lamp. For a moment, she only gazed at him, not knowing what to feel. It was already past dinnertime, but here he was, still waiting for her. She couldn't understand why it tugged something within her heart.

"Gohan-sensei," she called at last.

He looked up, then grinned. "Hey! So can we go back to our Literature lesson already?"

She blinked, the nodded. She joined him in the garden set.

"OK, so we stopped in page fifty-two…" murmured Gohan, leafing through the pages.

"Gohan-sensei?"

He looked up, "Yes, Miss Videl?"

Her eyes softened. "Be here at eight in the morning tomorrow so we can start early with the classification of animal kingdoms already."

His eyes lit up. "No prob!!!"

***

"Good evening, Mama!" greeted Gohan cheerfully when he saw Chichi seated on the sofa, doing her sewing work.

"Why did you come home late?" she asked unsmilingly.

He sweatdropped. "I told you, I already have this job…and well, I passed by Aunt Bulma's house to ask a favor from her."

"What favor?" His mother wanted to know.

"THIS favor." He lifted a helmet and a bundle of green and black clothes from his knapsack. 

****

to be continued…


	3. 3

"Serving justice and freedom…I am the Greaaaaaaaaat Saiyan Maaaan!" Gohan posed Egyptian-style.

Goten and Trunks gaped at him blankly.

"You suck," said the latter, showing a thumb down sign.

Gohan groaned. "Oh well, there goes another fighting pose down the drain…"

"Cheer up, Big Brother!" said Goten, smiling. "No one ever said being a hero is easy."

The three were putting their heads together for a better image for his new superhuman persona. He had taken Videl's remark seriously—the milk pail HAD to go.

"Don't you get tongue-twisted with your name?" asked Vegeta's son, frowning. "Saiyan Man…hmmm…that is so hard to say."

"I can't change my name," he said, sighing.

"Then shorten it…like, um…Saiyaman." Trunks nodded to himself. "Oh yeah, Saiyaman would do…plus you won't have to *totally* revamp your label."

"Wait, I'll jot that down." He resumed taking notes.

Goten peered at the green and black costume of his brother. "How much did you pay for that costume?"

"Love. Just love." He made a mental note to thank his Aunt Bulma properly for the costume. Maybe he would bring her home a copy of that dress-up software she had been salivating on. He remembered her telling him that she would use it on Vegeta's digital 3d rendition.

"The helmet's cool! Mask Rider Black has something like this…and Bioman too!" Goten grabbed the helmet and poised it on his head. "Waah! This has super powers and everything! The house looks green!"

Trunks flipped the green shades of the helmet. "Hah! I've defeated its super powers!"

"Hey, easy with the helmet! It's made of a special kind of alloy that cannot be melted by ordinary combustible and corrosive compounds and can withstand gravity raised to the hundredth degree!" said Gohan, trying to get his head gear back.

"If that is the case, why can't you let us play with it?" Trunks wanted to know. The son of a scientist, he couldn't be intimidated by big words, at least not as easily as Goten could be.

Gohan smiled sheepishly. "It might get dirty." He coughed, "OK, so the fighting pose…what will we do about my fighting pose?"

"Hmmm…how about…." Goten went on to show him the choreographed sequence of the sentai heroes making appearance in the shows.

 Gohan nodded slowly as Trunks' face went dark.

****

"You're late." Videl was tapping her foot impatiently on the ground, arms crossed impatiently in front of her chest. Gohan, who biked all the way from the mountains, smiled apologetically. Inwardly, he was scolding himself for taking too long in memorizing his Saiyaman steps and motto.

"I hate men who make me wait," she continued, walking around him. "Really hate."

"S-Sorry…" He rubbed his head. "We don't live in the city…"

"You don't?" She turned to him, surprised.

"Nope!" He smiled, relieved that she had dropped her scolding stance. "We live in the mountains."

"So why work here?" she asked.

"To help my mother make both ends meet." He took the book from his messenger bag. "Anyway, let's go start with schoolwork."

"Not so fast!" She raised her eyebrow. "I'm not done with my interrogation."

"Shucks! Your father might not like this, me not doing my job." He put his hands together in a begging position. "Please forgive me, Miss Videl. It won't happen again."

She paused, a little fascinated by how boyish he could be. She then realized what she just thought, so she suddenly shook her head vehemently. "S-Schoolwork," she found herself saying. "You said something about helping me with it…"

"Do you forgive me?" he asked, following her.

She took her notebook out. "Only if you get me an A on my Algebra homework."

He grinned. "Deal."

"And that you spar with me."

His grin vanished. "W-What?!"

She smiled. "You were able to outrun me, and you avoided my attacks yesterday…"

"It was an ACCIDENT, honest!!!" he cried.

She shrugged. "I don't see it that way. Plus…" she eyed him intently. "Normal boys your age can't bike their way here all the way from the mountains…or were you lying when you said that awhile ago?"

He grimaced. He was now caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

She crossed her arms together. "Spar with me, sensei."  
He looked at his things frantically. He must buy himself some time first. "Um…let's do the schoolwork first, then we'll spar."

She looked at him suspiciously.

He held his hand up. "On my honor!"

It was only then that she was satisfied. "OK, let's do it." She sat back down on the garden chair and whipped out her Algebra notebook. He eagerly took it from her hands and browsed through its pages.

"Well?" she asked testily.

"I think I can handle this one," he said, nodding.

"So will you answer it for me now?"

"Nope."

She blinked.

He grinned. "We'll answer it together."

She shook her head vigorously. "Uh-uh. NO WAY! I hate Algebra!" She crossed her arms. "Besides, you're my tutor. You can do this for me…Papa is paying you."

"Your father is paying me to help you with your education, not manipulate it," he reasoned. "And why don't you try first if Algebra really deserves that kind of hatred from you."

"You're not going to win me to the dark side, Gohan-sensei." She rolled her eyes. "Do it for me."

He sighed, then closed the notebook.

"G-Gohan?" she stammered.

He got up and stood in front of her quietly. He then faced her and spoke, "Hit me."

She frowned. "What?" She wasn't sure if she heard him right.

"Hit me," he repeated.

"Oh…" She sighed. "Gohan-sensei, my punches are capable of rendering cerebral unconsciousness for a second. The most prominent doctor of Satan City had already advised me on this matter and—" She stopped when he suddenly held her hand and poised it directly in front of his chest. He was staring at her intensely.

"Go on," he instructed. "Hit me."

She started to perspire, and she was acutely aware of his gentle but very firm hand grasping her own. "Gohan-sensei…" She exhaled audibly. "Alright, but don't say that I didn't warn you…"

His face relaxed into a smile. "Point taken." He let go of her.

"Yaaaah!!!" She was stunned to see that she hit nothing but air. She turned and saw Gohan standing behind her. Her eyes widened in recognition. He was doing it again—he was anticipating all her attacks again! She started to attack him repeatedly and incessantly, but to her shock, he merely avoided her attacks. 

"Hiyaaaaaaa!!!" She aimed a jab on his face with all her might, but Gohan managed to grab her hand. He was sweaty, but he was still grinning.

"OK, time's up," he announced.

"W-Wha…" She watched in fascination as he took out his stopwatch.

"One minute is up." He helped her sit down her garden chair again. "In a span of sixty two seconds, you were able to attack me ninety-six times."

She gasped, but what he said next astounded her.

"And I avoided all your attacks with three combos," he continued. "Now give me number of moves I made consecutively in those said combos if I was able to avoid you ninety six times too."

She blinked. "What?"

"How many moves did each of my three-part combos consist of that would total to ninety-six moves?" He raised a finger. "Take note! The moves were made in consecutive even numbers."

"Why do I have to—" She groaned. "This is a trick to make me answer my Algebra homework!" She placed her hands on her hips. "ALRIGHT! Tell you what, I'll solve it WITHOUT using Math."

Gohan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Yaaah!!!" She repeated her attack, and again, Gohan avoided her. She tried to count the number of attacks she made on him, making sure she stops at 96, yet everything seemed to happen too fast that she loses track of her count and actual attacks. And worse, Gohan didn't seem to find fatigue in avoiding her attacks.

Finally, she gave up. "Oooh, alright!" She plopped down on the grass and picked up her pen and paper. "How do I start figuring that out?"

His sexy lopsided grin spread on his face. "Why don't you start putting the total number of attacks on the left?"

"So that's 96…" she whispered, doing the equation.

"Now for the three consecutive numbers…" he said, sitting down beside her.

"What number would I put in the equation?" she demanded. "They're unknown!"

He nodded. "Exactly. So we'll just call them 'X'."

"Why 'X'? " she wanted to know.

He sweatdropped. "Well…you can name it anything you want, actually, since it's unknown…"

"Anything?"

"Yup!"

"Let's call it 'Saiyan Man'," she decided.

He coughed. "Whoa! Why that name?"

She smiled. "I just want to."

He groaned. "Okaaay…Saiyan Man it is." He started to write down the equation. " 96 = (Saiyan Man) + (Saiyan Man +2)…"

"Hey, why did you add two to Saiyan Man?" she asked.

He rubbed his cheek. "Well, since we're talking about even integers, then we must add two…for instance, the even numbers two and four has a difference of two…"

"Got it," she said nodding.

He continued with the equation. "96 = (Saiyan Man) + (Saiyan Man +2) + (Saiyan Man+4) ".

She frowned. "Now it's +4"

"Well, six comes after four if we talk about even consecutive integers, and since six and two has a difference of four, we add that number to our equation so we can prove that three consecutive Saiyan man equates to 96."

She nodded slowly. "I think I get it."

And he went on to explain the rest of the process. Finally, she was the one solving the figures herself.

"So you actually made 96 dodges…30+32+34!" Her eyes twinkled. "Wow, that was cool!"

"I told you, Algebra is nothing to hate!" said Gohan confidently.

"Not that, silly!" She got up. "You fight really well!"

He blinked, uncomfortable with her admiring gaze. "Um…it's nothing much…" He rubbed his cheek.

She checked her notebook. "Hmm…'The sum of four consecutive even integers is 60'." She turned to him expectantly.

He sweatdropped. "Y-You don't need a demo anymore…you already know how to solve it!"

She stuck a tongue out at him. "Oh no, we're going to spar!"

He started to freak out. "No, I don't think so…"

"Aw, come on!" She aimed a punch at his face. "Yah!!!"

Gohan dropped down on the ground, dizzy.

"Waaa!!!" It was Videl's turn to panic. "G-Gohan, w-why didn't you avoid it?!!!"

*****

"That was so dumb of you!" she cried as she wiped his bruise with her handkerchief. "You could avoid it easily…"

"Well…at least I don't have to do battle with you anymore," he said cheerfully.

"Wrong!" She pressed on his eye bruise. "Once I see your wound is healed already, I'll get you!!!"

He winced. "Why are you so serious about this whole sparring thing?"

"You should be proud." She clenched her fists. "The only other person I offered this chance to is the Great Saiyan Man!"

"I know," he muttered under his breath.

"Pardon?"

He shook his head vigorously. "N-Nothing…I mean…it's Great Saiyaman. Saiyaaaamaan."

"Huh? You know him?"

He nodded slowly. "I had been…ah…saved by him too."

"He's not bad," confessed Videl. "Saiyaman…must have misheard him. Ah well, it does seem easier to pronounce."

Gohan smiled inwardly.

"And don't think that I didn't notice the subtle change of topic, Gohan-sensei!" She smiled. "You're gonna spar with me again, whether you like it or not!"

"Oh boy…" His face turned dark.

****

"What am I supposed to think if my son goes home from his job with a black eye on his face?" Chichi asked crossly.

Goten nodded. "Big brother, surely, you didn't contact this through a fight. You're unbeatable!"

He laughed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, b-but I did get it on a fight…" 

"Well, you most certainly look cheerful!" Chichi glared at him. "You're just like your father who delight getting beaten to pulp! Ahh, you both drive me nuts!!!"

He unconsciously blocked the rest of his mother's words. He kept on remembering how his student panicked with his bruise, to the point that she treated it herself. He couldn't suppress the grin on his face.

His mother always does that to him when he was young, but why did it feel different when it was Videl who treated him? She hadn't even been gentle in the first place.

He shrugged and continued with his meal. It was irrelevant still thinking of it anyway. He still had more lessons to prepare for their next study session.

------

To be continued 


	4. 4

_Little Videl's eyes widened in fear as she tried to dodge the stream of people rushing out of the city to flee from Cell. Only one person was in her mind._

_"Papa! Papa, where are you?" she called desperately. "Papa!!!"_

_Just then, her attention was caught when a large ball of fire plummeted down the street blocks away from her. She screamed in fear, covering her eyes with her arm._

_"Get out of here!" a boy's voice called. The next thing she knew, arms enveloped her. He fell on top of her, shielding her from the impact of the explosion and the shrapnel that flew. She could feel the heat of the explosion radiate, but the boy's arms protected her._

_The blast seemed to last an eternity before the place gradually pacified. Videl opened her eyes slowly._

_The boy, donning purple outfit under a torn white mantle, was smiling at her. He was bathed in golden light; even his hair was golden too._

_"Hey," he said gently. He was breathing heavily; she figured that it must be from rushing to save her._

_"F-Find my Papa…" she whispered hoarsely._

_He nodded._

_The gesture promised reassurance, one she knew she could count on even with the fate of her father. She trusted this boy, so she allowed herself to fall asleep…_

~*~*~*~

Videl opened her eyes, startled by the sound of the alarm. Lazily, she reached for her alarm clock to turn it off. Her mind was still on her dream. It had visited her slumber every night years ago, and gradually stopped. She was puzzled though why she started dreaming of this again recently.

The boy that glowed in gold, the boy that saved her life. The boy she had never been able to thank, for when she woke up, she was already in the mountains, along with the majority of the city's population. 

She had counted on the boy's promise of bringing her father back, but when she learned that her father defeated Cell, she forgot about him momentarily. It was only some days later that she remembered the mysterious golden boy, but her father claimed no one helped him in defeating Cell, and she immediately believed him. She had come to think of her savior as a phantom, and that she may never be able to know who he was.

"Videl, aren't you going to get dressed for school?" Her father's voice came from outside her door.

"In a minute, Papa!" She jumped out of bed energetically and rushed for the bathroom.

***

"Ms. Satan, I must say," their Math teacher said as he handed her the exam paper on Algebra. "Your performance for this semester had improved vastly. Keep up the good work!"

Her eyes lit up when she saw the 98 on the upper right of her paper. What her professor said was true. Ever since Gohan started to help her out with her Algebra, as well as her other subjects, her grades rose unbelievably. She had to hand it to her Gohan-sensei—he had the power to make difficult things seem so easy.

She then realized that it had been a month and a half already since the young man had been her tutor. She smiled inwardly. Funny, but she didn't notice that time had passed already. She had already grown accustomed to their afternoon study sessions. Plus, she had already looked forward to every chance of sparring with her teacher, meaning each passing day. Gohan had never been big on the exact date of their sparring, but she was willing to terrorize him every single afternoon until he finally gives in.

The bell rang, signaling the end of classes. This jumpstarted her out of the classroom—she had to do a quick tour around the city to make sure that no mayhem was going on. It was her routine before she settles down in her home to relax…and an hour later, study with Gohan.

GOHAN AGAIN?!

She shook her head vehemently. She was not liking what she was unconsciously doing. Why couldn't she get that person out of her mind anyway?

_Because I'm obsessed with beating him to the pulp, that's why_, she reminded herself. She was interested in him—interested in him as a battle opponent, nothing more.

Right?

"Videl! Hey, Videl, wait up!" Shrapnel grinned at her, breaking her train of thoughts. "I saw your grade in Algebra…" He doubled his pace to catch up with her. "…and I just want to say that your grades are…well…cool."

She cocked an eyebrow. Cool? Surely, Gohan-sensei could come up with BETTER adjectives than that! The wide-reader he was, he could easily astound her with his vocabulary.

She mentally kicked herself. Why did she end up thinking of that fellow again?

"A-And I want to ask a favor from you. It ain't no biggie, really!" He stepped in front of her, trying his best to give her his sexiest smile.

She blinked, wondering whether his jaw got dislocated or something. His grin was scary.

"Can you help me out with my Algebra? You can just teach me the basics…"

She smiled. "Maybe I'm the wrong person to ask help for. Surely, our sensei would be glad to help you out…"

"Oh no!" He shook his head vehemently. "Peer teaching is…_cooler_."

_Hurray for his wonderful word list! _She silently groaned. She knew what he was up to, and she didn't like the idea one bit. "But I am…a little busy, you know?" She did her best to let him down gently. After all, the daughter of the world martial arts grand champion must uphold values all the time, even for someone like her classmate here.

"But surely not too busy to HELP me out, eh?" He grinned. "You never refuse to help out the citizens of the city."

And that sounded like blackmail to her. She paused in indecision.

"Well?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

She could sense the curious gaze the crowd of students was giving her already. She had no choice but to nod. "Later in the garden, four pm," she hissed before walking away briskly.

"ALRIGHT!" he yelled, pumping his fist up on the air. "It's a DATE!"

She winced inwardly. She had a feeling that her classmate was not going to be subtle with their study session later.

***

"Good afternoon, Miss Videl!" Gohan, who was seated on the garden chair with a book of poetry, got up immediately upon her arrival.

She wordlessly handed him her Algebra test paper. This he took eagerly. His deep, dark eyes lit up like a chandelier when he saw the score written on the upper-right hand of her test paper. "Yahoooo!!!!" He pumped his fists happily. "You did it! An almost perfect score!!!"

Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't explain why Gohan's reaction touched her, but it made it seem that he did care for her not just as a paying student, but a student who wants to learn. 

She blinked when she saw that he was holding his palm in front of her face.

"Huh?" She looked at him, puzzled.

"Give me five!" he said, grinning.

She blinked, then slapped her palm against him. With that, his grin widened. She smiled back.

"So let's go right to our lessons for this afternoon so we can make that 98 into a three-digit figure…"

"And if I get a hundred, will you finally agree to spar with me and my Dad?" she asked eagerly.

He sweatdropped.

She placed her hands on her hips, "Well, that would be an incentive for all my hard work, Gohan-sensei."

"Isn't the pleasure of education enough for you?" he asked meekly.

"I'll be more inspired to study if you promise to do battle with me," she replied, her look challenging him.

He gulped, then sighed. "Oh alright…"

"On your honor," she said.

"On my honor," he promised solemnly.

"OK, so let's go over the two items you missed in the test…" He scanned the test items as she plopped down beside him, peeking over his broad shoulders.

_His shoulder blade sure looks defined up-close_, she thought. She silently wondered why he chose to keep his great body hidden in his casual shirt and slacks when her other classmates would gamely show their limp muscles off with muscle shirts and the like.

Maybe he works out or something…and oh yeah, he lives in the mountains, meaning, everyday physical challenges. But still, he's in love with books. What a strange guy…

For one brief moment, she imagined her Gohan-sensei naked waist up, carrying branches to be used in the fireplace of his house for the winter night. His dark eyes burning intensely, his body sweating all over…

She could imagine him walking towards her slowly, his breath laborious and heavy. Yet his mouth would open slowly as words formed in his mouth…

"…and you forgot to divide what you transposed." Gohan turned to her. "See where you went wrong?"

She blinked.

He gestured to her equation. "The answer is not a fraction since it is still divisible."

"R-Right." She was grateful when he nodded and went back to jotting down notes on her paper. She could already feel the colors rushing to her face.

What was she doing anyway, fascinating herself with her geeky teacher?

Well, a geek with deliciously-defined body and the ways of a perfect gentleman, not to mention an endearing boyish quality coupled with charmingly enigmatic personality…but well…

"Aaargh!!!" She got up suddenly, clawing the scalp of her hair in frustration. "Kami-sama, I_am_NOT_crushing_on_HIM!!!"

Seconds later, she opened her eyes, relieved that she felt better. She was about to take her seat when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She turned to her left and winced.

Gohan was staring at her, looking…awed.

-*-

Gohan watched as his student worked on the problem he gave her regarding heredity and cross-pollination. At times, she would look hopelessly lost, but minutes later, her face would light up, and he knew it meant she had answered a part of the problem triumphantly.

He could almost see himself in her when he was young, a demi-warrior grudgingly learning to love erudition. He would often get teased by Krillin and Yamcha about him finally learning to like schoolwork, and he would feel like a freak because he was the only one who had to study when he could be like his dad, who was out fighting for the sake of mankind.

But in the long run, books became his best friend, his passion, and his way of life. When he would look back at the times his mother forced him into studying, he would feel no regret. He had the best of both worlds with his parents anyway—education from his mom and courage from his dad.

His gaze went back to the poetry he was reading, and for a few minutes, he could feel himself getting immersed into the smooth, flawless grace of the lines…

…only to look up from the book again to secretly gaze at his student.

She was frowning thoughtfully on the paper, unconsciously chewing on her lower lip. He smiled. He knew that mannerism of hers—it meant that she had no idea what was the next step in solving the problem. He had already memorized all her gestures—the duration of their tutoring session had given him that ability.

She suddenly looked up at him, making him freeze.

He quickly looked back down at his book, praying that she wouldn't get mad for catching him in his moment of sheer stupidity. Ah heck, staring at Videl Satan had never been healthy for him. He could kill himself for acquiring that habit in their one month something of being together. Ever since  Videl treated his black eye, he suddenly couldn't stop sneaking glances at her. And getting more concerned than usual of her grades. And being THIS aware of her every gesture.

Which was…something he wasn't familiar with.

He would take the Frieza-Cell combo over Miss Videl Satan any day. He, who grew up with practically no contact with other girls his age, was not prepared for her feistiness, her stubbornness, and her fiery spirit.

Yet at the same time, he admired these very traits in her, as well as her willing spirit to render service to the city.

Wait, maybe that's the problem. I couldn't tell her how I see her, so this is manifested through my obsessive-compulsive desire to look at her all the time! Maybe if I do tell her now what I think about her, then maybe my OC would be cured!

He inhaled deeply as he mustered his guts, then he smiled. "Miss Videl?"

_*_

The sound of her name made Videl look up. She turned to her tutor expectantly.

"You're…a very cool person," he said quietly, fondness in his eyes.

She blinked.

"T-That's it…I guess," he mumbled before looking back at his book.

She laughed nervously, aware of the blood rushing to her face. "Y-You know, I won't ask Papa to give you a raise even if you said that…" She turned her eyes back at the paper, but she was painfully conscious of her racing heartbeat. "T-Thanks though…"

"Videl! Hey Videl!" Sharpnel arrived, waving his hand proudly. "I'm here!"

Gohan blinked, then turned to her. 

She slapped her forehead. She nearly forgot about her classmate. "H-Hey."

"For you." She was handed a bouquet of red roses by the newly arrived.

"You're taking up Botany?" asked her sensei, surprised.

Videl rolled her eyes, then faced Shrapnel. "You shouldn't have done that. We're just going to study algebra!"

The blond grinned. "If kids can give apples to their teachers, then I can most certainly give flowers to mine." He eyed Gohan critically. "And you are…?"

"Her tutor. I'm Son Gohan." He offered him his hand, and the other boy accepted it after a moment of hesitation.

"I was hoping that we could have a private tutorial session…" the long-haired man sighed. "Oh well, I guess it's fine."

Videl sighed, then took out her algebra notebook.

_*_

"…so that's how we get the final answer," explained Videl, tapping her ballpen at the edge of the notebook paper. Did you get it?"

Shapnel nodded quickly. "Yup! Loud and clear!"

She frowned. "Then what are you doing here, having yourself tutored? You understand the lesson perfectly!"

He suddenly panicked, "A-Ah well…" He flipped through the pages of his own notebook. "I have a few questions regarding our last assignment…"

"Our teacher already explained the solution set." Her patience was starting to thin. She sneaked a glance at her tutor, who looked blissfully contented reading his book of poetry. She surmised that Gohan wouldn't be of any help in getting rid of her classmate.

"Then explain it to me again!" he pleaded.

She was about to snap at him already when suddenly her cellphone rang. It was her personal carry-anywhere emergency hotline. She answered promptly. "Yes?"  
"Miss Videl, there are bomb terrorists holding the city bank hostage! Help us!" cried the chief of police over the line.

She nodded. "I'm coming over!" She turned to the men in front of her. "Guys, I'm moving out. See you tomorrow."

Gohan's forehead creased. "You're rushing into danger again?"

She blinked. What did he mean by "again"?

But she had no time to ponder on that. She headed for her air coaster.

Gohan and Shrapnel could only watch as the coaster soared away.

"Oh well, so much for the tutorial—" The blond did a double take when Gohan dashed away too. "Hey man, where are you going? Son Gohan!!!"

_*_

"Your time is up! You guys have not yet surrendered yourself to the authorities so I'm going in!" Videl boomed through the megaphone. With that, she walked carefully into the bank. The place was deathly silent, save for the sirens of the police cars.

"Be careful, Miss Videl!" the Chief of Police called out. She nodded confidently, then dashed towards the secret back door of the bank. She was going to take the bombers by surprise.

_*_

"It's Videl Satan!!!" With that, the bombers started shooting the girl who jumped out of the bathroom window.

Videl expertly dove down the ground, then slid towards them. She used her legs to knock their knees down and make them slip.

"Damn you!!!" The man crawled for his gun, but Videl kicked it away. She then proceeded to knock him cold.

The people inside the bank cheered. She turned to them. "Are there other bombers here?"

"No, you rounded them all out." 

Videl's eyes widened. She turned around and saw the Great Saiyaman standing by the doorway, arms crossed. Below him were the two other missing bank robbers who attempted to escape while she was apprehending the bombers.

"Great Saiyaman!" she exclaimed, her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me that you were the one who perpetuated this heist!"

He sweatdropped. "Oh Mi…Videl, why should I do that?"

"You tell me!" She went to him, eyebrows cocked suspiciously. "What are you doing here if you're not involved?"

"I came to help bring the criminals into justice!" he reasoned.

"Oh yeah?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Even if you helped me out twice already, that doesn't mean you have immunity from my handcuffs!" She toyed with the cuffs using her pinkie finger. "Convince me that you're innocent!"

"Miss Videl, let's leave already!" the bank manager cut in. "The bomb might explode any minute now!"  
"The bomb!" She quickly went into action. "Where is it? Maybe we can still detonate it—"

"Are you crazy?" Saiyaman grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's take the people out of here already!"

"YOU take them out of here." She went into the office of the bank. "The chief told me that the bomb has two minutes to go. I can still detonate it!"

"Videl!!!"

"This building is a landmark for my father's city, and I'll be damned before something happens to it." She entered the vault and looked around. 

_Now if I were a bomber, where would I put the bomb?_

"Videl!! Come back here, Videl!" The Saiyaman's voice reverberated in the deserted bank office.

"Videl!!!" He entered the vault. "Let's get out of here!"

"The bomb is attached to the handle of the vault door!" she cried.

"Oh no…" said the Saiyaman. They both turned to the door.

_*_

"Noooo!!!" yelled Master Satan, who just arrived in front of the bank. He just got out of his favorite spa, only to hear that his reckless daughter had placed her throat under the proverbial guillotine again. "Videl!!!! Videl, my child!!!" he cried in anguish as he stared at the remnants of the bombed bank.

"Master Satan, we're going in. We're going to find her!" The firemen started to move in.

_*_

Videl opened her eyes slowly, trying to recall her circumstances. Her eyes then flapped wide open. The bomb exploded! The bank was destroyed!

She moved her fingers, shocked by the fact that she was still conscious of her movement. 

_Does this mean that I'm still alive?_

"Hey…" 

Her heart stopped. The voice sounded so near, and yet a faraway memory was coming back to her.

She looked up and found herself staring at the Great Saiyaman. His helmet was almost bent by the impact, and some of his hair was released. It glowed gold, covering the other features of his face.

The years didn't stop her from remembering who this was. Her eyes softened. "My…phantom came back."

She thought she saw him pause, and for awhile, she was just trying to discern the contours of his face. She couldn't.

But she could hear him breathing heavily, and she knew it was because of pain. He protected her from the impact of the bomb.

Soothe the pain…she wanted to soothe his pain…

With her last ounce of energy, she raised her face up to him. The Saiyaman didn't expect that, so he could only gape when her lips touched his fleetingly, in a brief bittersweet moment.

And then, she fainted.

_*_

"Videl, I will not tolerate your recklessness anymore!" said Master Satan as he paced back and forth in the hospital room. She had waken up in this place and found her seething father and worried Shrapnel seated by her side. At the faraway corner of the room, Gohan was still blissfully absorbed in his book of poetry.

She sighed; It would be a little nice if she would have seen a bit of concern in Gohan's usual cheerful worry-free face.

"I have now decided that you would need someone who would check on your every move whenever I'm too busy." The Grand Champion nodded. "That's right! A watch!" He turned to Gohan. "Come here, boy."

Startled, Gohan dropped his book and pointed to himself.

"Who else?" Mr. Satan turned to Videl. "I will now appoint your tutor as your official shadow watch. He will keep an eye on you so you won't get into trouble."

-*-

"Videl, what came into you anyway?" asked Sharpnel when her father left to deal with the press—everyone wanted to know about the situation of his or her beloved city heroine. "You were lucky you survived the blast!"

She shook her head slowly. "I wasn't lucky; I was saved."

"Saved?" the blond echoed.

"By the Great Saiyaman," she replied. 

"What? That crime-buster wannabe? We're not even sure if he has nothing to do with the bombing!"

"I can personally assure you all that he's clean," she answered firmly. "I repeat, he risked his life for me."

Gohan looked up from his book .

"We didn't see the Saiyaman when we saved you," said her classmate.

"R-Really, huh?" Her eyes saddened. "I…I see…"

"Have you seen the Great Saiyaman unmasked?" the macho blond asked all of a sudden.

This made both Gohan and Videl tense.

The boy continued. "What if I find out for you the real identity of that hero, huh? Will you go out with me then?"

Videl bit her lip. She really wanted to know who the Great Saiyaman was. She was sure that he was the boy with golden hair who saved her years ago. With that, she found herself nodding slowly.

"ALRIGHT! One unmasked Saiyaman coming up!!!"

_*_

to be continued…


	5. 5

"The helmet's badly broken," said Bulma as she examined his headgear. "It may take me days to finish fixing this, or making another one like this."

"Oh boy," sighed Gohan. "Knowing Videl, she won't be able to stay away long enough from trouble…and Saiyaman needs to be on the watch for her, 24/7. But Saiyaman can't make an appearance without a helmet, or she'll surely recognize me!"

"I don't see why that should worry you so," said Trunks, fanning himself with one of Gohan's notebooks. "You're just her tutor, geez!"

"She also happens to be my friend," said Gohan, toying with the broken helmet. His mind though, was drifting to the scene days ago, under the ruins of the city bank that exploded.

_Gohan sighed, relieved that he was able to turn into a super Saiyan just in time to protect Videl. When the bomb exploded, the first thing that came to his mind was to shield her from the blast. It was fortunate that he was able to push her down just in time, or she could have…_

_He shook his head firmly, not wanting to dwell on that anymore. Quickly, he checked Videl's body for injuries.  Just then, he felt her move. Her fingers started to shake to life._

_And her eyes slowly opened._

_Then he found himself staring, drowning into the dark oblivion of her eyes, and at the same time, laughing in relief inwardly. She was safe and sound. He had never known what relief was until now._

_But he made the fatal mistake of looking at her slightly parted lips—the rose petal-shaped mouth that dictated gravity, coaxing him to fall down entirely on top of her and take it into his own._

_He inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to keep himself in check. He shouldn't be thinking this way! Not in this situation! He shook his head vehemently, then smiled shakily. "Hey…"_

_She gazed at him for what seemed like an eternity before she spoke softly._

_"My…phantom came back."_

_He froze. Phantom? What did she mean by that? And what did she say about the phantom returning?_

_A sense of déjà vu overwhelmed him, pulling him back to the time when he saved a pretty young girl years ago. The girl who wasn't frightened by the rush of the people wanting to get away from Cell; who didn't cry when an explosion nearly took her life. The girl whose last request was for him to find her father and bring him home safely. The girl with large, dark eyes and plentiful raven hair._

_His thoughts were interrupted when he felt her move. He watched as her face slowly ascended towards his. He didn't trust himself to move; not even when he felt their lips touch. He involuntarily shut his eyes, lost in the sound of his racing heartbeat and the blood pounding in his ears; lost in the incredible, indescribable feeling of the kiss._

_Then all of a sudden, it was over. Videl had fainted in his arms, and he had opened his eyes. And from there, he knew he was never the same again._

"Some friend she is," observed Trunks, grinning wickedly. "I'm sure as hell that I don't blush and stare off to space dumbly when I think of Goten."

He sweatdropped. "Trunks, she…she is different. In the first place, Goten is not…a girl."

"Uh-huh," nodded Bulma, eyebrow cocked teasingly. "And those eyes, Gohan dear, are the eyes of your father when he married your mother. I recognized that look too, when my husband proposed to me."

"Did I just hear my name?" growled Vegeta from the second floor, where he was engrossed with his training.

"Your hearing is as sharp as ever!" yelled his Aunt Bulma, then turned to him once more. "Anyway, Gohan, think your feelings over."

"Feelings?" he echoed.

"Just try to sort them out," she said, winking at him. She then handed him a piece of white cloth. "For the meantime, you can use this bandanna…and I think Vegeta has a pair of dark sunglasses that he got as a Christmas gift last year but never wore…"

"It's better than the helmet and the milk pail," shrugged Trunks.

Gohan sighed, then nodded.

*********************

The next Monday…

"See you later, Papa! Bye!" bade Videl before she left their mansion hurriedly. She still had to complete her daily pound around the Satan city before classes.

"Goodbye Mr. Satan!" bade someone else behind her. She blinked, then turned around. Gohan was behind her, waving at her father cheerfully too. It was then that she realized that Gohan was officially starting his new duties today as her shadow watch. After the bomb explosion in the bank, her father had been more protective than ever. In fact, one of the measures he did was to assign her tutor to become his eyes and ears on her.

A part of her rebelled on that idea; she was used to always being on her own. She carried a spirit of independence in her—something her father couldn't even break. But not this time, because her father was dead serious about his concern for her life.

She understood him, but she still couldn't help but feel irritated.

"Let's go, Miss Videl."

She turned to her tutor, an eyebrow arched. She was also not too jolly about the idea of her tutor breathing down her neck every minute. It was enough that he was wreaking havoc on her rationale whenever they were having their tutorial sessions on afternoons. How in the world would she live with the fact that he would be with her not only in the afternoon but also in mornings and early evenings?

He sweatdropped. "D-Did I say something wrong?"

She rolled her eyes and hurried away.

"Ms. Videl! Hey, wait up!" He ran after her. "I-I know you don't like the idea of me checking on you all the time, b-but it's the idea of your father, and I don't think it's fair to make me your outlet for your anger."

She steamed quietly. Now THAT was NOT really THE reason why she was mad. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, taking in his boyish sheepish grin. She sighed and turned her attention back to the path she was walking on.

Why couldn't have he VOLUNTEERED to be her watch instead of the idea having to come from her father? Now it seemed like he was just being forced to follow her Papa.

She clenched her fists. Of course that was how things should be. It was her father who employed him, and naturally, he would only do things that he ordered him to do.

But still…

_You're looking for some sort of sign that he really, REALLY cares, right?_ her heart asked.

She stole a furtive glance at her tutor, then groaned. It was all her fault. Really. She shouldn't have paid too much attention to him. If she only didn't get interested with sparring with him, then she wouldn't have to think of him often. And sneaked glances at him. And got curious about his boyish grin and warm, wise, and patient eyes.

And much, MUCH more.

Which all led to this annoying feeling of fascination for him.

A sort of feeling that lexicographers termed as infatuation.

I-N-F-A-T-U-A-T-I-ON.

She shut her eyes tight, shaking her head vehemently. The daughter of the Grand Martial Arts champion shouldn't be thinking this way! All she must get interested about is the welfare of the city, the triumph of justice every time, and the upholding of the good reputation of her wonderful father—

"Watch out!" yelled Gohan from behind.

She opened her eyes just in time to see a car coming for her. She then realized that she had crossed the intersection with the red light in the pedestrian traffic light on. Panicked, she ran back to the island, and was pulled back by Gohan just in time.

She collapsed against his arms, sweating nervously. Her heart was still racing from fear and shock.

"W-What were you thinking awhile ago?" he asked scoldingly. "Were you sleeping while walking?"

"I wasn't—"

"That was too close!"

She nodded slowly, the same realization dawning on her painfully. "I know…"

She heard him exhale deeply. With that, it came to her that she was lying against his chest! So that was why her heart seemed to beat extra loud. She was listening to his own!

Flustered, she stepped back, her eyes averting contact. "S-Sorry." Her skin was still tingling from his touch.

But when he held me, it felt so familiar… 

"I'm sorry too…for raising my voice awhile ago. I…just panicked, I guess. It is my fault too," he sighed. "I'm not a very good watch." He fixed the strap of his bookbag. "I was maintaining what I thought was a safe distance between us so you wouldn't feel too uncomfortable…I thought wrong."

She looked at him. "Thanks, Gohan…" She blinked when she heard herself say his name. "…sensei," she immediately supplied.

He grinned. "No problem. Let's go?"

She nodded.

********************

For a sit-in student, Gohan was not doing so badly. In fact, he became the most active participant in the class discussions and activities. He excelled in Literature, but he was also impressive in Math and Sciences. Yet he also did well in Physical Education.

Videl smiled as she gazed at him who was busy taking notes on their future lessons. Ah, he was really born a scholar—conscientious, dedicated, and zealous.

"Hello Gohan-kun!" greeted her female classmates, obviously thrilled to talk with the newest star student of the class.

He lifted his head shyly. "H-Hi!"

"Gohan-kun, you were really swell awhile ago in class!" gushed one brunette.

He blinked, then laughed self-consciously. "A-Actually, I learned those things while reading your textbooks. I-It was not really too hard…"

She looked away, willing herself not to notice how cute he was when embarrassed.

"So you already have a special girl in life?" asked Eraser later, smiling curiously.

That made her look back at her tutor. Despite herself, she wanted to know his answer for that.

"I do!" said Gohan proudly.

Her heart sank for some reason she didn't want to acknowledge.

"Oooh!" chorused the girls.

"My mother," smiled her sensei.

*******

"You weren't too bad today," Videl commented, making him look her way. He was packing his books back.

"Maybe you should be a full-fledged student here in Orange Star High," she continued. "I can see your potentials. You would make all our teachers happy because you're a good student."

"Y-You…really think so?" he asked shyly. He couldn't believe that she thinks that way about him. She was not the first one to say that he was smart, but she was the first person he really believed.

She smiled slowly, her eyes crinkling. He observed that she could really be beautiful when she was relaxed and happy.

Beautiful. Now that was one word he had never used on anyone save for one person. Sure, his Aunt Bulma was pretty. So was Android 18 and her daughter, Marron.

But in his eyes, his mother was beautiful. Beautiful beyond words. Her strength was beautiful, and so was her kind smiling heart.

Now what made him suddenly think of Videl Satan in those terms?

As if vexing him, the memory of what happened under the rubbles of the bank came back into him.

The vulnerability in her face that he could never forget. The indescribable feeling of her lips on his that was forever etched in his soul.

"Gohan-sensei?"

He blinked, and then realized that he had been staring at her wordlessly for the past few minutes already. He felt his ears turn red.

"S-Sorry," he managed to mumble.

She eyed him suspiciously. "Is something wrong with my face?"

"No!" he blurted out. "It's PERFECT! I-I mean…" He looked down at the table, feeling his heartbeat commencing its marathon once more.

She paused. "Then why were you—"

"Videl! Hey!"

He saw Sharpener heading their way. He was marginally relieved to have her attention shifted away from him. Marginally.

The blond handed her a bouquet of roses that seemed to have came out of nowhere. "For you. My thanks for your assistance in my algebra."

She sighed audibly. "I never really did anything."  
"I still insist you take my offering," he grinned, then turned to him. "Hi Gohan! Where did you go that day?"

His forehead creased. "Pardon?"

"You know, the day the bank was bombed." Sharpener crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You suddenly took off from the garden. Where did you go?"

He panicked inwardly when he saw Videl frown. "He left?" she asked.

"A-Ah, I was…" He scratched his cheek, desperately thinking of an alibi. "…worried."

"Worried?" she echoed.

He nodded immediately. "Worried. A-About you, I mean." He wiped a bead of nervous sweat from his forehead. "I tried to go after you, but the bank was crowded with onlookers and the police, so I just stood by and waited for news about you."

"How come we didn't see you there?" asked Sharpener.

"I don't know…but I was there," he said in his best conviction.

"Oh well." Sharpener made notes. "There goes one suspect."

"Suspect of what crime?" Eraser materialized from behind.

"I'm looking for the man beneath the dopey Saiyaman helmet," explained Sharpener.

Gohan winced inwardly. Good thing his Aunt Bulma lent him a new headgear for his costume.

"It's not that dopey!" protested Videl immediately.

"It is," said Eraser, shrugging. "But I saw him on the news. Those tights are sexaaaayy," she gushed.

It took him all of his self-control not to blush big time.

"Whatever," said the muscle man. "But the point is, we have to unmask him. I mean, what does he have to hide? If he really is the good guy in the picture, then why does he have to go on disguise?"

"Maybe he's protecting his family," he suggested quietly.

The three looked at him in surprise.

"T-That's how it goes in movies," he said quickly, although the first and last movie he saw was a love story. He remembered his mother insisting on watching that, even if his father didn't look too comfortable.

"He does have a point," said Eraser. "Or maybe he's camera shy." She faced the blond. "Why are you so hell bent on him all of a sudden anyway?"

The boy merely grinned. "I'll tell you in due time." He glanced at his wristwatch. "Anyway, no time for chitchats. I have to catch Saiyaman!" He waved at him and Eraser, then winked at Videl. He then walked away, holding on to his camera.

Videl sighed. "Let's go home," she told him wearily.

The blonde blinked. "Hey wait a minute! Are the two of you living in…together?"

Gohan blinked.

Videl's face reddened. "Of course not! You and your dirty mind!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Oh wait, I forgot to tell you. He's my tutor in Algebra."

"Really?" Her eyes widened. "Wow, Gohan-kun, maybe you can teach me too—"

"Hold it!" Videl placed her hands on her hips. "Let me finish my introduction. Gohan also happens to be my fiancé too."

Gohan's eyes widened.

-------

to be continued


	6. 6

"F-Fiancé—"

"Shut up."

"Miss Videl—"

Finally, Videl Satan turned to face him, glaring. "How many times do I have to explain that this is for both our good?"

"B-But what will my mother say when she learns that I'm already _engaged_?" Gohan sputtered.

She groaned exasperatedly. "Listen, Gohan-sensei, I told them that you were my fiancé because I don't want them to know that Papa had made you my bodyguard."

"What's wrong with that?" he asked cluelessly.

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?!" She looked at him as if he just asked her why the sun wouldn't appear at night. "Well, for one thing, I'm supposed to be the daughter of the Grand Martial Arts Champion and I have no need for bodyguards." She started to tick off with her finger. "Secondly, Videl Satan has her own reputation for being independent and very capable of defending herself. She doesn't need any protection."

"Third, do you look like a bodyguard?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

He looked down at his usual get-up and then shrugged. "Should fashion sense count for a bodyguard's job description?"

She glared at him again. "Don't get smart with me, Gohan-sensei."

Immediately, he grinned sheepishly. "OK, sorry,"

She turned around and resumed walking. "Anyway, doesn't it please you that you are linked to the daughter of the number one hero of the world?"

Silence.

This irked her. She whirled around to face him angrily, but stopped. Gohan was gazing at her thoughtfully.

'W-What?" she snapped.

"Must you always see yourself as the 'daughter of the grand martial arts champion'? Can't you refer to yourself as Videl Satan?" he asked after a while.

This struck her. She immediately made an about face, but didn't make a move to walk away. She was still contemplating on what he said.

Of course, she was proud of her father. Very, very proud. The people of the whole world may applaud him, sing him praises, and glorify him, but she would do that and so much more just for her Papa. She was his number one fan all the way.

And his reputation was one of the best things that he had given her, as well as the responsibility to care for the city she loved dearly.

She had been perpetually contented with that.

But after what Gohan said…

Who was Videl Satan really, aside from being the daughter of the grand martial arts champion?

All of a sudden, she realized that all these years she thought she basked in the spotlight of the city's attention, she was merely dancing under the shadow of her father.

Of all the people who knew her, only one identity of her was known—that she was Mr. Satan's daughter.

But who knew Videl Satan?

"M-Miss Videl?" Gohan's voice snapped her out of her trance.

She shook her head vehemently, then continued to walk.

Gohan caught after her. "Miss Videl, are you alright?"

She didn't speak; the lump in her throat was proving too difficult to calm.

"I-I'm so sorry…" he murmured, much regret in his voice.

"S-Sorry?" she couldn't help but speak. "Sorry because you upset the daughter of your employer, the World Martial Arts champion?"

"No. I'm sorry if I hurt my fiancée's feelings."

That prompted a tear to streak down her face. She wiped it away angrily and threw her schoolbooks on him. "Awhile ago you didn't like the idea of you being engaged to me! Why the sudden change of heart? If it's because of pity—"

He caught the textbooks calmly and placed them inside by bag carefully. "I didn't say I didn't like it. I was just asking why you had to lie to your friends."

_I didn't say I didn't like it._ The words registered in her mind, making her eyes wide and her cheeks red. "But why couldn't you just accept my idea easily a minute ago?"

"Because I don't want you to lie," he explained quietly. "Lies will steal your peace of mind, and I don't want that to happen. But if you consider it very important to continue with your story, then I will go along with it."

"Is this because of pity?" she asked again, looking at him straight in the eye.

"No."

"Obligation?"

"Partly."

"And your other reasons?"

He didn't even blink. "I want to become the fiancé of Videl Satan." And he smiled at her boyishly,

She felt her heart skip a beat. Quickly regaining her composure, she turned her back on him, arms crossed. "Is that so? Well, Gohan-sensei, since you insist, you have to start your duties now."

"Duties?" His face drew a blank.

"Well, you should take me out on a date."  
"DATE?!" It was a word

"Yes." She turned to him once more, puzzled. "Date, as in go out. Haven't you taken any girl out on a date yet?"

"I took Mama to the city library once…"

She sweatdropped. "Another person aside from your mother?"

"Hmm…Aunt Bulma!"

Videl sighed, but she couldn't deny that she was satisfied with his answer. "Don't you know of other places you can take girls to aside from the library?"

"G-Gee, I'll think of something…"

"Well, you better think fast. I want you to take me out tomorrow."

"TOMORROW?!"

"Yes, is there a problem with that?" she asked testily.

"O-Of course not." He scratched his chin. I think…

Certainly, she wouldn't have to know that he had no idea yet of how a date should be, even though he often could hear his Uncle Krillin and Uncle Yamcha talk about that word a lot of times.

That's it! He would just have to ask those two on how to do a date properly. Surely, they could give him the proper answers!

-------------------------------------

"What?! You're dating the only daughter of the Grand Martial Arts champion?! Way to go, Gohan!" Laughing, Yamcha slapped his back.

"It is NOT exactly a date. I-It's…" one of the whims of Videl. Gohan sighed. He still couldn't understand why he let Videl suggest this. After all, it was just a pretend thing, right?

But he knew better than to reason out with the girl.

"Well, whatever it is, Gohan, let me tell you that you came to the right place," said Krillin, grinning. "Do you know that when I was a little younger and before I met my lovely wife, I was a REAL ladykiller? Whew, women just couldn't get enough of me!"

Yamcha nodded. "Anyway, Gohan, here the things you have to keep in mind. Be punctual, bring flowers, compliment her in every possible way, and most importantly. bring LOTS of cash."

Gohan gulped. "Gee guys, it sounds really…complicated. Are you sure I can handle this?"

"Have faith on yourself, young man! Never underestimate the charms you inherited from your father!" advised Krillin.

"W-What should we do?"

"Well, if you would take her out to dine, then you can eat. And converse, of course," suggested Yamcha.

"Ok." He nodded and jotted that down on his notepad. He needed all the professional advice he could get. After all, this was his first date.

Trunks then entered the room. "Hey guys! What are you doing?"

"This is adult talk. Don't join us," said Yamcha at once, face serious, as if their group was discussing the plans to bring world unity and peace.

"If Mom hears you talking about the night club you guys went to last week—"

The two grown-ups immediately panicked. "How did you know that?" Yamcha asked when he recovered.

Trunks rubbed his nose proudly. "Hah! Just because I'm a kid doesn't mean I couldn't understand what kind of insane pervertedness run in your mind!" He then turned to Gohan. "Hey, your girlfriend is on TV, beating the hell out of the hostage-takers live!"

"H-Huh?" He immediately sprinted towards the television. And indeed stood Videl, fighting with three men double her size. His jaw dropped. "Oh boy!"

"Your girlfriend's too belligerent," said Vegeta, who was seated on the sofa, watching the TV scene too.

He sweatdropped. "A-Actually she isn't--"

Screams of pain made him freeze. He instantly turned his attention to the television once more. Videl kicked the hostage-taker's face.

"Are you going to tell me where you hid the manager of the mall?" she barked.

Gohan immediately got up and placed his shades on his eyes. It was time to get into action too. He jumped out of the window, forgetting to bid goodbye.

Vegeta groaned audibly. "Bulma, did you happen to give Kakarotto's son the sunglasses I got from Krillin?"

"So you really had been taking inventory of your wardrobe and accessories." Bulma's smiling face peeked in through the door. "Such improvement!"

"Knock it off with the sarcasm," he muttered. He just couldn't help but notice that the eyepiece went better with him.

------------------------------------

"You'll never make me tell!" smirked the hostage-taker. "Wherever that idiot is hidden, he must have already suffocated."

Videl's fists clenched. She couldn't help but hate this man so much. Normally, she could squeeze out the answer from these criminals easily, but in this particular incident, it seemed that the devil had penetrated the soul of this man. He kept on hinting that it would be for vain if they try to search the building for the hostage, for he could already be dead.

"Miss Videl, we still haven't found anything!" announced the head of the police search team.

She turned to the smirking criminal. "Will you still insist on not cooperating?"

"If I tell you that I won't cooperate, what will you do?" sneered the man.

Videl exhaled sharply. "Aren't you happy yet with the beatings you got from me? You do realize that a few more blows from me can jeopardize your life already, don't you?"

"So what? I'm not scared to die, and it will be my pride to be the first one to stain the hands of the innocent daughter of the Grand Martial Arts champion!" With that, the man started laughing insanely.

"Shut up!!!" she snapped.

This only made the felon laugh harder. "Tell you what, Miss Champion of Justice. If you manage to kill me, I will use my dying breath to tell you what you want to know. How about that?"

Kill?

Videl stepped back, eyes shaking. "Y-You're crazy…"  
"Yes! Yes, yes, and YES!"

"We don't have much time, Miss Videl," said another police officer. "The hostage could die of asphyxiation before we reach him. He had been kept hidden for so many hours already."

That made her reach a decision. She went towards the criminal.

 "I said, speak up!!!" Videl aimed a punch at his stomach, but before she could touch him, a hand held her back.

"Don't." Saiyaman stood behind her, his hand restraining her firmly.

"But didn't you hear them? If I don't do as this insane man says, we will never know where he had kept his hostage!" she snapped.

"There is another way."

"NO! And who do you think you are, meddling with my affairs?" she yelled. "It's absurdity for anyone to cross the path of the daughter of the Grand Martial Arts champion!"

"I am not talking with the daughter of the Grand Martial Arts champion," he said firmly. "I am talking to Videl Satan, the girl who I know is clever enough not to be tricked by anyone."

Her eyes widened.

"Videl Satan won't let anyone boss her around, because she carries a wild spirit of independence. And pressure could not change that." He let go of her hand and turned to the criminal who had stopped laughing.

"W-What do you think…should I do?" she asked at last, hating the feeling of helplessness within her.

"This man, I believe, has conditioned himself to endure the worst of pain, so you may want to do the opposite. Something he did not prepare for." He turned to her and smiled.

Her eyes lit up. "I-I understand now." She then knelt down beside the felon, who was now starting to feel nervous. She took off the ribbon that was binding her hair.

"W-What are you planning to do—" The man's line was stopped by his sudden burst of laughter. Videl was busy tickling him with the ribbon, and since he was tied up by ropes, he couldn't move a muscle to stop her. He was helpless against her tickle attacks.

"Stop! STOOOP, please!!! WAHAHAHAHHA!!!" he cried, laughing so hard.

"Will you now tell us where the hostage is?" she asked, not moving an inch away from him.

"Nooo---yess!!! Hahahahha!!!" The man was catching his breath desperately. "The latch…the latch beneath the bathtub!!! Hahahahah!!!"

Videl looked at Saiyaman and smiled triumphantly.

-----------------------------

As they watched the policemen haul the hostage out of the building, Videl turned to the Saiyaman. "Hey you!"

He stiffened, then sweatdropped. He meekly went to her.

She handed him her ribbons. "Help me with my hair."

He nodded quickly and dutifully began to comb her hair.

"Hey, thanks again," she said quietly. "You saved me…again." She looked down. "B-But…you seem to know me so well…when you talked about me awhile ago…you know me. I know that you know me, Saiyaman." Her eyes shook. "Who are you, Saiyaman?"

Silence.

"You were the one who saved me when I was a child. I can feel it."

"I know."

Her heart skipped yet again.

"I remember," he said quietly. He let go of her. "The hair's ok!"

She felt disappointed. She still wanted to talk!

"Goodbye, Videl. Take care."

"Saiyaman!"

He turned expectantly.

"Won't you tell me who you are?" she asked.

"You said you know me, so why should I introduce myself?" he asked,

She gasped.

" I am Saiyaman!" He made a choreography of his uniform sentai moves as the girl sweatdropped.

-------------------

Videl was walking home when Gohan arrived, panting.

"Miss Videl! A-Are you alright?" he asked.

Her eyes narrowed. "Gohan-sensei, the bodyguard job is over."

He grinned sheepishly.

"Well, it's good you came. Anyway, I'll confirm to you our date." She flashed a grin. "Remember, Gohan-sensei!"

He sighed.

--------------------------

to be continued  


End file.
